A Long March 6C climbs into the sky carrying 7 satellites in August 2026. Credit: CASC
HELSINKI — China sent seven satellites into orbit Monday, while the Long March 5 rocket to launch Chang’e-7 has been rolled back and faces a year delay.
A Long March 6C rocket lifted off at 11:21 p.m. Eastern, Aug. 24 (0321 UTC, Aug. 25) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carrying a rideshare manifest of seven satellites. The launch marked the vehicle’s second flight, following its May 2024 debut.
The commercial launch was brokered by China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC), the international arm of state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), while CASC subsidiary Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) provided the two-stage, kerosene-fueled rocket.
Among the payloads was GISTDA Cube Sat 1, also known as Lingzhi-9 Thailand CubeSat, built by commercial satellite maker GalaxySpace for Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA). Chinese state media described it as GalaxySpace’s first complete satellite-and-ground-system export to a Southeast Asian customer, delivered along with technical training for Thai engineers and university partners. The 3U cubesat intended to collect imagery for land-use, agriculture and ecology applications.
